Purple Eyes
by Lyra Nights
Summary: Ichigo begins to wonder about the color of Rukia’s eyes, since they’re the only purple eyes he’s ever seen or heard of in his life, and decides to do some research about it. What will ensue? IchiRuki! Sort of a sequel to Snow Flakes.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hey there. About this fic, let's say I was curious about it myself, so I decided to do a little research about it. Since it's sure a rare thing, I was surprised to find that most points could actually relate to Rukia's character, and who knows? Maybe Tite Kubo did it on purpose, after all, we know next to nothing about Rukia's past. Anyways, I hope you have a good time reading this. Let me know what you thought! xP

Title: Purple Eyes  
Rating: M  
Pairing: Ichigo x Rukia  
Synopsis: Ichigo begins to wonder about the color of Rukia's eyes, since they're the only purple eyes he's ever seen or heard of in his life, and decides to do some research about it. What will ensue?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach (Except for the bottle in the laundry room. :P), nor the "Alexandria's Genesis" theory or text I'll be using. You can find that here:  
http://  
www.  
outpost-daria.  
com/  
fanfic/  
purple_eyes.  
html

* * *

**.o0o.**

The living room was quiet… too quiet.

It was well into the afternoon; golden rays of light lazily filtered through the windows, warming up the house, and in the midst of the silence you could clearly listen to the rhythmic tick-tack of the clock down the hall.

_Tick-tack…_

To tell the truth, it was irking her. She'd came to the living room to read in peace but instead she found herself too annoyed to pay attention to the manga she was holding in her hands.

_Tick-tack…_

Now, you may be wondering why she was so annoyed in the first place. Surely the tick-tacks of the clock weren't enough to set her off?

_Tick-tack…_

You'd be right to assume so.

_Tick-tack…_

The thing that was annoying her most were not the tick-tacks…

_Tick-tack…_

It was _**him**_.

_Tick-tack…_

He was sitting on the couch opposed to hers and held what appeared to be a medical book in his lap. Not that he was reading it, _no_. He'd given that up long ago in favor of staring at her.

_Tick-tack…_

Sure, he'd been doing so more openly ever since the 'Snow Flakes incident' as she liked to refer to it, but still it peeved her. They hadn't really ever done anything more than kiss that night. A few shy glances the day after, coupled with and even fiercer need to protect each other had really not helped matters along either. To tell the truth, this unresolved relationship was annoying her. What _was_ she to him? After the kiss she had reluctantly retired to her quarters as he followed her with his eyes as if asking her not to leave him, but of course she had too! What would she do if one of his sisters woke up to find her missing only to run into Ichigo's room for help and instead find her and their brother snogging? That would not go well… anyways, nothing had been resolved that night, _or_ the day after, _or_ the next one for that matter! So _what_ were they!?

This confusion was making her very cranky. Luckily for Ichigo, the ones at the end of her sword were usually the hollows.

She took a peek over the edge of the manga she had strategically posed directly in front of her face, determined to find out if he was still staring.

_Tick-tack… Twitch…_

Yep, he was still staring… She heaved a sigh, snapped the manga shut and placed it in her lap, glaring at him.

"What do you want!?" she all but shrieked at her offender.

"Nothing," he replied, nonplused, still staring at her, usual frown in place.

"Ichigo…" she growled, "You've been staring at me ever since this morning. Tell me what the hell is going on!"

"I told you already - nothing," he retorted, his gaze unwavering.

Giving up on words she threw the manga at him; it hit him square in the face. He glared back at her. The manga fell upon his open book, unnoticed by either of them.

"Well, if you don't want anything, _stop staring!_ It's highly annoying! I couldn't even concentrate on my book!" she protested, crossing her arms defensively.

"I'm not staring…" he waved her notion off, shifting his gaze to his book momentarily.

Rukia growled at him.

'_Oh, the nerve of him!_'

Seeing he was distracted for the time being, she took a peek at the book in his lap, curiously before she glared at it too. Whatever it was about, she was sure it was its fault that Ichigo kept staring at her.

Looking around she tried to localize her fallen manga. She couldn't see it in the floor and it wasn't beside him on the couch either…Standing up, she noticed he had let it drop in his lap over his own. She tilted her head curiously and raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Wasn't he supposed to be reading? Wasn't it bothering him?

Walking over she snatched the manga from his lap and cast a quick glance at the book he was reading.

"Just how long were you planning to keep this?" she questioned before she sank in the couch next to him, still glaring at him.

"You threw it at me; I didn't even touch it," he cast a serious look at her before concentrating on his book again.

"What are you reading anyways?" she changed the subject, peeking at the book again; annoyance mostly forgotten in the midst of her curiosity.

"Medical book," he replied shortly and matter-of-factly.

She smacked the back of his head, infuriated.

"I can see that for myself," she admonished, "I meant '_what's it about_'?"

"Genetics," he retorted, turning a page.

"Uh," she looked at the new pages that featured mostly illustrations of eyes, "You thinking of becoming an eye doctor?" she asked, honestly curious.

He frowned at her.

"An Ophthalmologist?" he corrected her, "Nah."

"Then why are you reading that book?" she inquired, perplexed.

"Just curious," he cast another look at her.

"About what?" she continued her inquiry, not understanding his point.

Staring at her again, he raised an eyebrow dubiously.

"I think the theme is pretty self explanatory." He blurted out without thinking.

"Specifically." She added with a glare, tempted to hit him again.

He seized her and chose to retaliate.

"Why should I tell you?"

"Just do! What's so wrong about that?" she insisted, not taking the bait, "I'm '_just curious_'!" she mimicked.

Frowning he pondered on her request; she looked pretty serious about it. She was looking at him expectantly, as she waited half-patiently for his answer.

After a while he sighed deciding maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing. After all, all she had to do was ask his father for it if she wanted to know what he'd been probing at, since he'd been the one to give him the book for his 'research' and wouldn't ever dream to hide it from Rukia if she requested it. Though, considering some of the topics the book covered… he wasn't so sure he wanted her to know he now knew about some of them. It wouldn't be very healthy for him - since she would probably try to kill him.

Focusing on her request again he grudgingly admitted she had a right to know what he had discovered; he just didn't expect her to be very thrilled by the fact. Casting a glance at her, he saw her still staring at him, silently fuming.

"So?" she pressed, "What are you researching?"

He shifted uncomfortably and sighed before relenting and giving a short answer, hoping she wouldn't ask any more questions.

"Purple eyes."

Seeing her confusion his hope went up in smoke.

"What about them?" Rukia frowned.

Ichigo sighed, frustrated.

"They're a very rare eye color, so I decided to do a little investigation," he explained.

She nodded thoughtfully and her eyes lowered and unfocused as she reflected. She knew Ichigo was a good student, and since his father was a doctor, she supposed it was normal that once in a while he became curious about medical topics. Still… that didn't explain his stares. Ever since he'd picked up that book he'd been throwing her weird glances or staring at her for long moments.

Focusing back on him she continued, still unsatisfied since she had no idea why he'd became so focused on her if he was supposed to be researching.

"…so what does that have to do with me?" she wondered, "Why were you staring?"

Ichigo's head turned to her so quickly his neck snapped. Berating himself for such a quick reaction and he eyed her, baffled.

"What?" she asked, mystified.

"Are you seriously asking me what do purple eyes have to do with you?" he replied, not sure if he should be amused or exasperated at her obliviousness.

She raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"Rukia… you should really look in a mirror sometime." He shook his head and snorted as his amusement overpowered his exasperation. How could she not _know_?

"What does that have to do with… oh." Her eyes sparkled in glee, "My eyes are…" she trailed off, apparently surprised. Seeing the berating look he was giving her she frowned at him. "Well, I guess I forgot. I don't usually carry mirrors around just to look at my eyes when I'm battling hollows," she spat sarcastically, "and it's not like people go around mentioning it."

"Hmhmm, I think they're just used to it by now." he speculated.

Watching her eye the book again, he decided to takes his chances. She'd find out eventually – his father might bring it up with his thoughtlessness, or she could be the one to ask him herself. She'd be much more angry at him if she found out later than if he showed her. At least he hoped so…

"Want to read about it?" he asked with slight apprehension. He hoped she declined, but when did she _ever_ do what he hoped for?

Seeing her tiny nod he sighed, anticipating pain.

"Here, look." He shoved the book into her hands and leaned closer.

Rukia blushed at the proximity but pretended not to notice.

"W-what exactly am I looking for?" she stuttered nervously.

"This," he turned the page back, "There's really very few we know of it since it's such a rare thing, but this book explains it pretty well as far as science revealed to date. Read here." He pointed at the paragraph directly below the image of a woman wearing a weird set of clothes. The picture looked pretty old.

"Uh, right…" she focused on the text he pointed, "'_Alexandria's Genesis'_?" she asked to be sure.

"Yep, that's the one." He leaned back and watched her as she began to read.

"Purple eyes and… other interesting anormalies!?" she glared at him in anger, "Does that mean I'm a freak or something!?" she asked testily.

"No. It just means it's not something that's usually seen. People with purple eyes belong to a very distinct race; no one knows what happened to them." He explained peacefully. If he was going to be trashed by her she'd better do it for a good reason like… he blushed at the thoughts that crossed his mind and shook his head trying to dispel such ideas. Well, of one thing he was sure: she'd definitely know when she found the reasons.

She continued to glare at him for a few more seconds for good measure before she turned to the book again. Under the title followed the next text, which she read in a low voice.

"_The Origins of the "Genesis"_" she read the sub-title and looked at Ichigo who gazed back at her and kept silent, urging her to continue. Sighing in defeat she looked back to the page and continued.

"_"Alexandria's Genesis," as it has been called since the 1960s, is a genetic mutation generally found in women of Euro-American (Caucasian) descent. This mutation can be traced as far as the Middle Ages in Northern Europe. The first known record of "Alexandria's Genesis" was written in the year CE 1330 (Common Era)._" She quoted, "Uh… I guess you're right. They are pretty old." She added.

"Says the 150 year old midget," he commented nonchalantly, which only earned him a swift kick in the shin before she continued reading as if nothing had happened.

"_A woman named Alexandria Augustine came into the world on April 29, CE 1329 in London, England._" She tilted her head and looked at Ichigo, "Where's that?"

"I'll show you later." He promised.

"Hmm, ok." She continued,_ "At the time, she appeared to be normal, but her parents soon noticed that her eyes were changing from the blue eyes Alexandria had at birth to the purple eyes she would have by her first birthday._" Her eyes widened in wonder, "Wow… that happened to me?"

"I don't know, I wasn't even born then, remember?" he rolled his eyes, "But yeah, most likely."

She continued to read with interest, now, "_The parents were startled by this dramatic change. They took her to their priest, thinking that a witch did this to their child, and that the priest might be able to ask God to change the eye color back. The priest told the parents that it was not the work of the devil, but a myth come true._" She made a small pause before continuing,_ "This particular priest had heard a story about a race of people who had purple eyes… _Oh! Were these the ones you were talking about earlier?"

"Yes, the very ones."He smiled slightly. It was fun, watching her be so fascinated about her own legacy.

"_These humans were thought to have come from Egypt…_" again she paused and raised an eyebrow at him. He mouthed a 'later' at her and she continued,_ "…after a mysterious light flashed in the sky during a moonless night thousands of years ago. The purple-eyed humans also had very fair skin, and were thought to be spirits because of their appearance._" Her eyes widened, "…This does describe me pretty well. No wonder you kept staring."

At that he chuckled.

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet. Keep reading," he urged.

She nodded absently.

"_The so-called "spirit people" eventually went north and vanished without a trace. The priest told her parents not to worry, for they had a special child in their hands and they should take good care of her. Eventually, Alexandria grew up to be a very beautiful woman, got married, had four children (all four were girls, and all four also had the mutation), never got sick, and died at the age of 150 of natural causes._ Is this truth!?" She squeaked, "I would have lived that long if I hadn't died when I was a baby?"

"As far as science can tell, yes," he nodded.

She finished reading the paragraph, mesmerized.

"_It is this discovery that helped to name the genetic mutation when the gene was discovered in 1968._"

"Yep, now read this one," he turned the page and pointed to the new title.

"_The Characteristics of "Alexandria's Genesis"_" she began, smiling.

She was enjoying finding out more about herself. Her sister might have known something, but she was dead, her brother wouldn't speak of it even if he knew; talking of his deceased wife had always been tough for him. She didn't have anyone else to ask - not until now at least. She should have known after all the changes Ichigo had brought, he'd also be the one to help her find the answers about her past, and he was proving her right presently, sharing this with her.

As she read a multitude of questions began to form in her head.

Was she really related to this race? Who were them? Where had they disappeared to? If they _had_ disappeared, how could she be related to them? Had her death at such young age prevented any other symptoms to develop accordingly, or not?

Focusing on reading again, she filed the thoughts for later scrutiny.

"_The first characteristic of people with "Alexandria's Genesis" is their eye color. When someone is born with this genetic mutation, the eyes are either blue or gray at birth. At six months, the eyes begin their transformation from the original color to purple. This process is completed by the person's first birthday…_ Uh, so I died with purple eyes already." She looked at Ichigo briefly and explained, "I was wondering if I dying so young would have somehow stopped those changes from happening."

"Not as far as I can tell," he commented, blushing slightly thinking of some of the differences typical from her race.

Dismissing his blush as Ichigo-weirdness she continued to read.

"_A second process, where the eye color deepens, starts as soon as the first is completed. This slow process continues until the onset of puberty. By then, the eye will have become a dark purple, a deep purple, a royal purple, or a violet-blue color, and will be that color for the rest of their time. These changes do not affect the person's eyesight, though. If anything, the eyesight is, and remains until death, 20/20._" Her eyes widened, "Wow… I really _am_ abnormal. Hey, you think it's possible that Captain Unohana might be able to find some cure based on my genes?" she wondered briefly.

"I don't know," he answered before a cold shiver ran down his spine at the next thought that crossed his mind and he turned slightly green.

"What?" she frowned.

"I was just thinking that you'd better hope nothing of this ever gets to Captain Kutotsuchi's ears, unless you want to become one of his precious guinea pigs." He shuddered at the notion.

Her eyes widened and she squirmed uncomfortably, shivering and also turning slightly green at the thought of all the experiences he'd like to perform on her. Sweating in nervousness she agreed.

"Y-yeah. L-let's keep it a secret; just the two of us." She pleaded, to which he nodded keenly.

Taking a deep breath, she continued.

"_Speaking of puberty, those who have the mutation will never grow __any__ facial, body, pubic, or anal hair during this stage of growth…_" she blushed as she read this part, figuring out what Ichigo had meant before when she'd wondered about the possibility of her early death preventing the changes and he'd replied 'not as far as he could tell'. Taking a quick peek at him she found him blushing too, confirming her suspicions.

'_Of course he can't tell, he's never seen me n-n-naked_.' She mused, blushing further, '_He'd be dead if he had!_' She added with a frown, trying to convince herself that she'd slaughter him if that ever happened.

"_In fact, the only hair they will ever have is what is on their heads, in their ears and nose, their eyebrows, and their eyelashes. Women also have an added bonus beyond never having to shave: never buying tampons or pads. It turns out that females born with "Alexandria's Genesis" never menstruate in their lives._" At this she flushed scarlet and buried her head in the book to keep Ichigo from noticing. Unnoticed by her he was blushing just as hard as she was and had sunk into the couch.

"Why is there never a hole on the ground when you need one?" he wondered lowly, but she heard non-the-less and silently agreed.

"_They are fertile, however, and can go through the same things that women without the mutation can go through every month. Beyond these differences, those with the mutation go through puberty as normally as everyone else does._" She finished.

A moment of silence followed, in which Ichigo anticipated his pending doom.

"I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with you knowing so much about me." she finally said, her eyebrow twitching in annoyance at the mortification it made her feel.

"So… uh, it's truth then." He settled.

Dropping the book in her lap she elbowed his stomach harshly and stood up quickly as he writhed in pain, the book falling to the floor, disregarded.

"You dare ask that of me!?" she shrieked nervously.

"I didn't ask!" he growled back, clutching his stomach, "You said so yourself!"

"You still shouldn't have said so!" She hit his head for good measure.

"OUCH!" he complained, though he had fully expected such a reaction from her, "What the hell are you trying to do? Murder me!?"

"I'd be no less than you deserve!" she punched his shoulder.

"Stop that, damnit!" he protested, "The book isn't about _you_, you know? It's just a small collection of scientific known facts about your ancestors' genes! Not my fault if the damn scientists knew more than they should!" he grumbled the last part.

"It's not the book that's upsetting me! It's the fact that _you_ know more than you should!" she admitted, blushing.

"Yeah, well, there's nothing I can do to forget it now, is it!?" he retorted, blushing also and sinking further into the couch.

"Geez, why did you have to go and be fascinated by my eyes so much that-"

"I was not fascinated!" he defended himself, blushing slightly, "I was just curious!"

"Well, curiosity killed the cat! Be glad I'm not killing you. Now go away." She glared and bended down so she could pick up the book; fortunately it'd fallen open on the right page, despite the folded pages that would probably leave a mark. Holding it, she also grabbed her manga and retreated to the opposite couch where she sat, glaring at him. Clearly a warning so he wouldn't come close anytime soon.

Grumbling to himself, Ichigo got up from the couch and made his way to the kitchen, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

_Tick-tack…_

Well, and those.

Steaming in embarrassment from the earlier events she turned her attention to the medical book again, trying to ignore the ruckus he was making in the kitchen. Who knows what he was doing in there...

"_Below are all of the characteristics of "Alexandria's Genesis."_" She quoted, allowing her eyes to roam the list bellow.

"_Clear, silver-like purple eyes (after 1__st__ birthday; deepen in color until onset of puberty)._ Hmm… well, the only person who could verify that would be Hisana-nee-sama. I guess I'll never really know, since she's dead." She pondered, thoughtfully.

The sounds in the kitchen stopped and she heard footsteps going upstairs and a door closing. Looking back she noticed that she was now alone downstairs.

'_Guess he retreated to his room..._'

_Tick-tack…_

Turning her head to the front again she sighed in irritation.

'_The house really is too quiet today._' She growled mentally, pondering the thought of going down the hall and breaking the damn clock, '_… better not._'

Looking down she continued.

"_No facial or body hair growth beyond what was already there at birth_. Uh…truth…" she blushed a bit, "_Dark brown or black hair_. Yep, black hair…" she fingered the ends of her locks absently as she inattentively listened to the front door opening, "_Shimmering white skin that resists tanning and burning_. Also truth. People usually wonder how I never get a tan, well, I guess this explains it…" the door closed softly and she couldn't hear anything more. Dismissing it, she continued, "_Lack of menstruation cycle (in women)_. Truth as well… _Highly evolved immune system (has been known to resist __every__ disease known to man so far)._Wow… well, that rules out death by disease. I always wondered how I died… oh shit! It also means that now I really have to make sure Captain Kutotsuchi never knows about this!" she freaked.

"Hmm, yeah, I guess you really should. He's a lunatic."

Without thinking she pumped her right fist up, hitting a jaw, sending the offender flying back. Placing the book carefully on the couch beside her she stood up and turned to face him.

"Ichigo! I thought I told you t-" she gasped in horror and quickly jumped over the couch, "Kurosaki-san! I'm so sorry!" she held the fallen man, who was cradling his jaw with a hand, making sure it wasn't broken, "Ichigo was annoying me and I thought he'd came back so I just… reacted. I'm really sorry. Should I get some ice for… uh, why are you smiling?"

Ishin was looking at her with tears in his eyes and a smile. She never had time to run.

"Oh, Rukia-chan! I'm so proud of you! You punched me harder than Karin does!!" he hugged her while she tried to get out of his hold, "You almost passed Ichigo's record! This calls for a celebration!" he turned to his wife's memorial poster and continued, "Oh, Masaki! Aren't you proud of our third daughter?"

"Ah… Kurosaki-san…" she began.

"Now, now, Rukia-chan. You can call me 'father'. After all, we're practically family," He laughed, letting her out of his crushing hug and slapping her back cheerfully.

Rukia slumped forward and laughed uneasily.

"R-right…" she agreed before she recalled that Kurosaki-san seemed to know about Captain Kutotsuchi. Sobering up she stared at him, raising her eyebrow in suspicion.

"What is it?" he asked still smiling and standing up.

Standing up as well she faced him uncertainly.

"Kurosaki-san…"

"Father," he grinned.

"Right… father," she conceded, "before I, uh, punched you…" she hesitated.

"Yes?" he questioned eagerly.

She sighed in frustration. '_Maybe I should ask outright._'

"Were you eavesdropping?" she asked, crossing her arms and glaring lightly at him.

"…maybe?" he granted.

Her glare intensified.

"How do you know of Captain Kutotsuchi?" she questioned next, suspiciously.

At that he sobered up.

"Ah… well," he came closer and lowered his voice, "I can't really tell you that right now. Ichigo might overhear."

"So you _do_ know him?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, yeah, him, Urahara, Yoruichi, little Byakuya, Ukitake, old man Yamamoto, the all bunch of them." He confessed in hushed tones, "But my kids don't know anything about that, so I'd like you to keep it a secret until I tell them, ok?"

She nodded absently.

"B-but that means…" she blinked in astonishment.

"Yeah, I used to be a Shinigami. A Captain at that!" he admitted whispering, striking a proud pose and laughed, "Where do you think Ichigo got all that insane amount of reiatsu from?"

"Uh… good point," she granted, thought she was interested to know how a shinigami could have human children. Maybe she could ask later. "Don't worry, I'll keep my promise."

"What promise?"

Both turned on their heels to see Ichigo standing right next to them.

"Eep! Ichigo!" she squeaked.

"Ichigo, my boy!" Isshin tried to glomp him, missing for a few inches and falling on the floor.

Ichigo dismissed his father's usual attitude by placing a foot on his father's back, so he wouldn't be able to get up and kept his eyes focused on Rukia's.

"What promise?" he reiterated as Ishin squirmed under his foot.

"Uh, nothing you should worry about," she smiled nervously.

Ichigo frowned, unaware of the grin his father now had.

"Why are you lyi-OUCH!" he fell down from the hit his father gave to the back of the knee of his supporting leg.

Being set free Ishin quickly stood up and pointed at Ichigo on the floor childishly.

"AH-HA! You'll never be able to defeat me!" he laughed.

"Shut up! I've defeated you plenty of times before!" he stood up and faced him, ready for a fight, efficiently sidetracked by his father's strategy.

Rukia took the chance to quietly tip toe to the couch and retrieve the books, since both of them were now absorbed in their usual family fights. Picking them up she tried to avoid them and go upstairs but they were blocking the way. They were circling around each other throwing punches and blocking them, the occasional ones going through the defenses. One Ichigo threw landed in Isshin's jaw on the opposite side where she had earlier hit him. A loud pop issued.

Rukia stood to attention, nervously, and made her way to the kitchen still holding the books. '_Ice, ice, I should get some ice…_'

"Ah, thanks my boy, I was in need of that," he continued to fight as if nothing had happened.

Rukia dropped the books in the counter and ran for the freezer.

"No problem. Were you fighting Ishida's dad again?" Ichigo smirked, having found recently that the two older man were very much like himself and Uryuu.

Retrieving a plastic bag from a nearby drawer she filled the bottom of it with ice, knotted it, and closed the freezer.

"Surprisingly, no." Isshin laughed.

Rukia entered the living room again carrying the plastic bag full of ice and made way to them.

"Rukia-chan did it." he nodded in her direction.

Ichigo froze and turned to stare at her in shock.

"Wha-?"

Rukia continued unaware and extended the bag to Isshin.

"Here you go, Kuro-"

"Father," he insisted once again, childishly, "I thought we went over it already."

Ichigo kept looking from one to another, still astonished, as she smiled lightly and rolled her eyes. '_Oh, fine…_'

"Here you go, _father_," she said once again extending the bag in his direction; this time he took it.

"Thank you, Rukia-chan," he promptly ran towards Masaki's poster and began to wail, "Oh, Masaki! She's such a good daughter! She's just like you!!"

Snapping out of the shock Ichigo pointed to his father and turned to face Rukia, who was beside him, staring at Isshin's actions.

"…You… punched him?" he asked brokenly.

Rukia blushed and turned to face him, uneasily, as Isshin kept wailing at the poster.

"I didn't mean to. It was a reflex!" she explained, to which Ichigo promptly dropped to the floor laughing, "I thought it was you!"

Ichigo only rolled over, laughing harder.

"Then… you must have… punched him pretty hard!" he continued laughing.

"Almost as hard as you do, according to him," she admitted sheepishly, "He wanted to celebrate…"

"That's right! We have to celebrate!" he snapped to attention and ran by heading to the front door, "I have to go pick up the girls so we can get here soon enough for you all to get ready! We're eating out today in honor of Rukia-chan's strength!!" he enthused as he closed the door behind him.

Ichigo hit the floor in mirth and kept laughing.

"It's not funny!" she growled in mortification.

"You're right," he gasped, "I'm losing my breath from laughing so hard!" he mocked.

"Urgh!" she stomped her foot and left him laughing on the floor as she made her way to the kitchen to get the books back.

Ichigo tried to calm down, but only managed to do so slightly. Sitting up cross legged he saw her getting out of the kitchen with the books in her arms and he sobered up some more, though he was still laughing.

"Where are you going?" he asked when she passed by and turned to follow her progress with his eyes.

"Upstairs," she said, "You done laughing like a lunatic?" she raised an eyebrow.

At that he started laughing again and she turned her back on him.

"Forget it," she grimaced.

Standing up he followed her upstairs, still smirking at the thought of her punching his father by mistake.

* * *

**A/N:** So this is it for the 1st chapter. Actually, this was supposed to be a one-shot, much like Snow Flakes, but I've written over 10thousand words so far and I think it's all coming along rather suddenly, so I'd like to break it off in two or three chapters to work that out. Besides, its still nowhere near as finished as it should be. xD

Anyhow, hope you liked this 1st chapter, I'll be updating soon. (^ ~)*


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Hey there. Here's the second chapter to this story! Not the last though, I think you'll understand why when you reach the end of the chapter, but I'm making one more chapter and that's it. So this is officially a three-shot! xD  
Thank you all for your reviews so far, I really appreciate them. You made some suggestions, but alas, this part was already written and I have no intention to change my texts to please whoever it is. No offence, though. It's just my stubborn way to be.

Anyways, hope you enjoy this next chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! :D  
Also, I'm sorry for any typos, if you catch any let me know. It's 5 am here and my brain is frying for various reasons... lol. Thanks in advance.

* * *

_(Slight Recap)_

_..._

_Ichigo tried to calm down, but only managed to do so slightly. Sitting up cross legged he saw her getting out of the kitchen with the books in her arms and he sobered up some more, though he was still laughing._

_"Where are you going?" he asked when she passed by and turned to follow her progress with his eyes._

_"Upstairs," she said, "You done laughing like a lunatic?" she raised an eyebrow._

_At that he started laughing again and she turned her back on him._

_"Forget it," she grimaced._

_Standing up he followed her upstairs, still smirking at the thought of her punching his father by mistake._

* * *

"You have to admit, though, it's pretty hilarious." he placed a hand on her shoulder momentarily.

She looked at him by the corner of her eyes and kept walking towards his room.

She was still embarrassed at having reacted so suddenly, assuming it was him who was behind her. What was she _thinking_? She could have seriously hurt someone. Luckily Kurosaki-san was more than used to kick and be kicked around; a fact that discovering he was a former captain only helped solidify. Still, she was mighty curious about how a former shinigami could have human children… she would have to remember to ask him about it later and hope he didn't make much fuss about it. The last thing she wanted was sexual tension between Ichigo and herself. Well, no more than usual, at least while their relationship was like this.

"So… what did he do?" he asked curiously, watching as her anger deflated and a sad look crossed over her features.

"He startled me while I was reading." She answered absentmindedly, wondering if he regretted that night and if that was the reason he hadn't said anything about it so far…

"Must have been pretty concentrated," he chuckled.

She kept silent and entered his room, earlier annoyance at him forgotten for the time being. It probably even wasn't his fault; she had a tendency to blow things out of proportion just as she'd done so far, as she guiltily recalled how rude and violent she'd been earlier.

'_Gods, I can be such a bitch sometimes… how can he stand me?_' she wondered painfully, '_No wonder he never said anything… why would he want to be with a violent and out of control midget?_'

Walking over to the bed she sat and leaned against the wall behind her, opening the book and trying to brush away the gloomy thoughts.

Ichigo closed the door, followed and sat beside her, watching her as silence enveloped them.

"I thought you were mad at me," he stated as she looked for the right page.

"I thought I told you to stay away," she retorted, turning the pages.

"Hey, this is _my_ room," he complained, taking the book from her and opening it on the right page, offering it back to her.

"Granted," she admitted, taking the book back with a nod of thanks, "But we've been sharing it for quite a while, so it's mine, too."

"Wha-?" he was going to complain, but then seeing as she spent more time in this room than his sisters he decided to overlook it, "… You know what, forget it. Just don't ever let the beardo listen to that." He crossed his arms and frowned slightly, "He'd freak out."

"What do you mean?" she raised an eyebrow at him.

"He'd probably start partying or something," he explained.

"…how is that freaking out?" she questioned, puzzled.

"It is if you consider that he would be organizing our wedding or something," he shuddered at the thought of a party organized by his father, though he also blushed slightly considering the example he'd just given her.

"He wouldn't…" she started, blushing slightly at the thought.

"Oh, he would," Ichigo nodded and dropped to the side, laying on his back and stretching his legs.

"Hey!" she complained, laying her legs over his, "Stay still!"

"Oh, quit complaining. It's _my_ bed," he grumbled, but complied.

She glared at him but kept quiet and soon turned her attention back to the book.

'_Now, where was I…?_'

Her eyes travelled down the list, "_Lack of- _hm, no, _highly evolved…_ ah, here it is! … _Appear 5-20 years younger (after the age of 21, the aging process slows down greatly; it stops completely between the ages of 40-50)._Well, being a shinigami kind of has the same effect, only better."

"Yeah, you're about 150 and still act like a teenager…" Ichigo mumbled.

Rukia shoved lightly at his leg beneath hers. "Keep quiet, you! I'm still mad."

Ichigo ignored her and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.

Occasionally looking sideways at him, she continued.

"_Long life span (ranges from 130-170 years)._"

'_I wonder if I'd ever have met Ichig- uh, not that I care about it. Besides I would be way too old to- urgh!_' she growled at herself for daring to think of him tenderly.

"What? I didn't say anything now," he protested, not bothering to open his eyes.

"I wasn't growling at you," she grumbled to herself and buried her head in the book once again to hide the blush.

"_Perfect vision…_ uh, yeah, so far…" she blinked, "_Never overweight (their metabolism prevents the gaining of too much fat [partial lipodystophy])_… well, this is new. What the hell does '_lipodystophy_' means, though?"

"That's the word used when describing the loss of fat from one area." He explained.

She nodded in acknowledgement and frowned in contemplation, trying to puzzle all she'd learned about her ancestors so far.

"Hmm…_Well-developed and proportioned bodies_…" she stared down at herself with raised eyebrows, "Uh… never thought of myself like that," she admitted looking pointedly at her chest area.

'_I always thought they were too small… I mean, look at Inoue or Matsumoto-san… why can't I have them _just_ a little bit… nicer?_' she wondered, pouting.

Ichigo opened his eyes and looked at her appraising herself, clearly with self image issues and sighed. He was probably end up pounded for what he was going to say…

"Yeah, I… uh, I think you're pretty," he mumbled quickly, turning his head away so he wouldn't have to face her and to hide the blush that had taken over at his admission.

Rukia stared at him in wonder. '_Did he just say…?_' The blush in his face didn't lie. '_He did!_' she gapped at him.

"Uh… I, well… thank you," she stammered, still surprised and turned to the book smiling slightly.

Ichigo let out the breath he'd been holding as he awaited his punishment, surprised by her timid voice.

"… _Found mainly in women of Euro-American descent_." At that she stared at the book quietly, "…Another one I'll never be able to know." She smiled painfully thinking of her older sister.

"Doesn't Byakuya know something about that?" Ichigo wondered, trying to help.

"I don't know… maybe," she conceded and closed her eyes, resting her head against the wall behind her, smiling, "But I wouldn't ask that of nii-sama. It hurts too much to speak of Hisana-nee-sama, I'm sure." She explained.

Ichigo stared at her sad expression and decide to change the subject.

"So, what's next?"

Rukia looked back at the book and quoted.

"_Women are the primary carriers of the mutation…_" her sad expression continued in place, "Nee-sama also had them." She confirmed.

"Yeah, I saw the picture in the shrine back at Byakuya's mansion, back when I... well, you know, when I went there the first time."

After a pause he added, "You look a lot like her."

She smiled sadly and gave him a grateful glance. Recognizing the look he smiled back and held her left hand with his right, lightly caressing her knuckles with his thumb in a comforting manner.

Allowing him to continue she read the next characteristic.

"_Children born from mothers with the mutation are also carriers._" She looked at him, "Does this mean my mother also had them?"

He frowned in thought.

"Coupled with the characteristics above, I think it's highly likely, yes," he acknowledged, "Probably the same black hair and petite frame, too, since both you and you sister turned out like that."

"Maybe…" she mused, eyes unfocused turned to the wall ahead, trying to imagine her mother, "She probably looked more like Hisana-nee-sama, though."

"Why?" he asked curiously.

"I don't know… she just…" she struggled with words to convey her idea, "She was more… tender? She was the one who took care of me regardless of having abandoned me when I was still a baby. I don't blame her; life in the 78th district was thought enough without a baby to take care of… besides when she married nii-sama she did all she could to find me before she died. So… I think she would have fit the role of mother much better than I ever will."

"'Than you ever _will_?'" he quoted, smirking, trying to distract her from her gloomy thoughts, "You thinking of having kids?"

She turned to look at him, overwhelmed, and blushed, quickly pulling her hand away from his.

"Not any time soon, I'm not," she frowned, "I'm a shinigami. My job is killing hollows, and how can I ever be a good mother if I'm never around?"

"Have your husband take care of them?" he offered, sheepishly.

Uncalled for, an image of Ichigo having trouble babysitting a small black haired and purple eyed girl made its appearance in her mind. She blushed before she gave a chuckle at the thought and shook her head.

"I don't think he could handle her if she was anything like the two of us," she commented warmly.

'_Not that I'm opposed to idea… I just wish we could actually have that kind of life. Not that I'm telling him any of this anytime soon.' _She sulked,_ 'At least, not until we work out this mess of a relationship we're in…_' she added, wistfully.

"So you want a girl?" he continued, curiously.

"Given the characteristics of my genes I think it's likely," she explained, "What's with all the questions, though?"

"Nothing; I just pity the poor guy for having to put up with you for eternity plus having a mini you running around," he teased, lying through his teeth.

'_It's not like I'm going to tell her that I want that role in her life... yet. With the way this relationship is evolving…actually, the way it's _not_ evolving… I don't want to scare her away, and we're nowhere near ready for that kind of commitment … at least for the time being. Not that I would mind asking her to marry me…_' He reflected, longingly.

Twitching in sudden anger she kicked him off the bed.

"Hey! OW!" he complained, "I was just joking!"

"I can't believe I actually thought… urgh!" she focused her attention on the book to keep from maiming him. Internally she berated herself for always reacting so violently, but then she figured it was probably a result from growing up on the 78th District of Rukongai and her continuous male company. Maybe if she'd had a female role model as a child she wouldn't have turned out like this. "You are so inconsiderate sometimes!"

"'_Sometimes'_" he quoted, "That means there's still hope."

Frowning at her admonishing expression, Ichigo scratched the back of his head, heaved a sigh and climbed back to bed, resuming his earlier position, though he kept her legs beneath his this time so she couldn't kick him away. Surprisingly she didn't complain from this change and instead used his leg as a prop for the book.

"_Mutation remains active generation after generation_," she quoted, "… So any kids I might have would all have this mutation."

Seeing her thoughtful expression he couldn't help but tease her.

"So it's more than one?" he feigned shock.

"Shut up!" she threw the manga at him again, but this time he caught it, laughing.

"Can't take some teasing? Geez, moody midget," he poked her, "Makes me wonder how you'd be like with all those pregnancy induced mood swings."

"_Shut up!_" She growled in embarrassment and tried to free her legs so she could kick him back to the ground where he belonged.

"Ok, ok, I'll stop," he promised, "… for now."

"You are so going to suffer later," she promised, still glaring at him, stopping her struggle and turning the page to read the last one.

"_Mutation grows stronger generation after generation._" She paused, "What does that mean?"

"It means that the characteristics of the genetic code evolve," he clarified.

"Oh." she stated simply, "Okay."

Jumping over a couple texts she deemed unnecessary she continued.

"_There are questions about this genetic mutation that remain unanswered._" She quoted, "_The biggest question left unanswered is where "Alexandria's Genesis" actually first appeared. Many researchers are looking into the myth of the "spirit people" of Egypt in order to find out if this mutation really did exist several thousands of years ago. If that is indeed the case, the next question to be answered is if this mutation is of Earth origin… or of a different place._" She paused again, "… and what does _that_ mean?"

"Some scientists consider that this mutation was caused by alien intervention," he explained.

"Alien." She repeated in a dead pan voice, "Are you serious?"

"They seem pretty hyped about it. Another reason to keep quiet; there's a lot of scientists all over the world who would love to meet you." He said seriously, "It's a good thing most people don't even know about this mutation since it's such a rarity."

She nodded and closed the book, handing it to him.

"Still mad that I know too much?" he asked sheepishly.

"Yes," she answered without hesitation, "But there's nothing I can do about it. I don't think I'll mind too much if you keep quiet about it."

Ichigo nodded at her request and a pause issued.

"…so, are you going to explain me?" she asked, slightly contradicted, but still curious about the earlier references.

"Sure. Come here," he motioned for his desk and stood up, picking up a book from the shelf under the TV on the opposite corner of the room and walking over. Seeing she had sat on his chair he sat in his bed and opening the book in the European Maps he place it on the table.

Rukia stared at the multicolored map in front of her.

"This island here is England," he pointed with a pencil, "Its capital is London, the city the book mentioned. That's here," he pointed again.

She nodded.

"Next we have Egypt," he stated, turning the pages until he found the African maps, "Which is here." He indicated.

"Looks larger than England." She commented.

"Yeah, well, the world map would be better to judge sizes; you can't know that for sure just because the drawing seems larger, the scale might be different." He elucidated, "But you're right, it is larger than England. It's larger than Japan, also."

She turned surprised eyes his way.

"Really?"

"Yeah," he turned the pages again to the Asian maps, "Here it is."

Her eyes widened.

"It does seem smaller." She verified. Then another question made way to her mind and she looked at him. "How far apart are these countries?"

"Pretty far. Here, let me show you," he looked for the world map before posing the book in front of her again. "This is the World Map; every country in the world is here. Here's Japan-"

"Are we really that small!?" she exclaimed in surprise.

"Uh, yeah." He replied blankly.

"… Makes me wonder how the shinigami of those huge countries manage…" her eye twitched.

"Hm. You have a point… thought their population is way larger the number of deaths probably is, too. So there's probably thousands of shinigami working there." He theorized.

"That would make sense."

"Yeah, so, as I was saying, here's Japan," he pointed, "Here's Egypt," he pointed again, "And there's England." He pointed one last time.

"They're so far apart…" she whispered, "The book said that the mutation is '_found mainly in women of Euro-American descent'_. What does that mean?"

Turning the page he pointed to the new map.

"That's the world map again," she frowned in confusion.

"Yeah, but it's divided into continents instead of countries." He explained, "See? Each continent has a different color."

She nodded in understanding and turned to him, awaiting the explanation.

"This here is Europe, and that's America," He indicated, "the continents the book was referring to."

"Ichigo… if they all are so far apart, how can I be of Euro-American descent?" she wondered, suspiciously.

"Well, lots of countries had already made contact with Japan by the time you were born..." He mused, "Mainly from Europe at first. The countries who made it were some of the best sailors in the old world. The first were the Portuguese, in about 1540's, and during the next century began to come boats from Netherlands, England, Spain …" he trailed off, seeing her amazed expression. "What?"

"How do you know so much about all this?" she asked, flabbergasted.

"Well… most of it we learn in school." He replied honestly, "Then there's the research I usually do depending on the level of interest of the subject. This I explained is all learned in school, though."

She nodded, thoughtfully.

"What is it now?" he asked, knowing something was bothering her.

"Nothing… we just never learned nothing of this back at Soul Society," she explained, "It can be a little overwhelming at times, you know?"

"Oh," he started, "Sorry."

"That's ok. I want to learn," she replied decisively.

He smiled. "That's the spirit," he enthused, "Can't have your kids thinking you know nothing, right?" he poked her, teasingly.

"Ah, I'd just blame you," she smiled back with a hint of evilness, "Then I'd tell them to hunt you down and disturb you all they wanted."

"You wouldn't…" his eye twitched.

"Oh, I would. Just try me." She smirked.

"Vixen," he grumbled.

She laughed.

"Come on, how bad could it be? You took care of your sisters pretty well." She pointed out.

"Yeah, well, they're nothing like you." He justified.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she glared.

"It means your kids would be loud-mouthed, bossy, and 'chappy-happy' kids. That's what it means." He frowned.

"And what's so bad about that?" she asked, annoyed that he would insult thei- uh, her future children.

"Argh… forget it, we are _not_ going to discuss the kids right now," he slumped back into the bed, exasperated, not realizing he'd spoken with far more familiarity than he was supposed to. A fact that didn't escape Rukia though and she blinked in surprise before she frowned, standing up from his chair and slumping to the bed next to him, uninvited.

"Oi," he complained.

"Shh, I'm trying to sort out all that information," she nudged him.

Rolling his eyes he turned away from her.

After a while he heard her ask in a small voice.

"You really think they'd be that bad?"

"Uh?" he replied, smartly, looking over his shoulder at her. She was staring into the ceiling, unblinkingly, with a thoughtful frown in place.

"The kids," she enlightens him, using his same casual reference, "You think they'd be that bad?"

"Oh," he turned his head away from her again, "No. Not really. I was just teasing you."

"Stupid," she grumbled, shoving him to express her upset, "I thought you were serious."

"Well, stop being so gullible, then," he grumbled back.

She hit his back again, half-heartedly.

"I'm not gullible. What's wrong with believing in you?"

"I'm not always honest with my answers. That's what's wrong," he admitted, shifting, slightly uncomfortable with the way this conversation was turning out.

"Well, be honest, then." She ordered.

Ichigo sighed in exasperation.

"You can't expect me to be honest all the time," he replied, turning to her.

"Sure I can," she turned her head to look at him defiantly.

He frowned.

"_You_'re not honest all the time. Why should _I_ have to be?" he accused.

She blushed.

"A-a girl has her reasons," she stammered, looking back to the ceiling.

"Yeah? Well, so do guys." He lied on his back, staring at the ceiling also.

She pouted and crossed her arms defensively. '_I can't believe I'm doing this…_'

"Well, ask me something. I'll answer honestly so long as you do, too," she bargained.

He turned to her with a surprised expression which quickly turned into suspicion.

"Really?"

"Yes." She replied, "Good, now it's my turn."

"What? I didn't ask anything!" he protested.

"Yes you did. That's twice now; don't cheat." She glared.

He glared back.

"Fine. Ask away."

"Great! It's like that 'Truth or Dare' game Inoue told me about, except this one doesn't involve dares." she enthused childishly, just to annoy him, as she processed the several questions she had for him, wondering which one she should ask first. Her eyes swept the room, looking for inspiration, before focusing on the book. Propping herself with her right arm she turned to him and looked in his eyes as she asked:

"Why were you researching this subject?"

"I told you already, I was curious," he groaned, closing his eyes.

"Why?" she continued, unaffected by his grumpiness.

He stared at her, wondering if he should answer.

"Come on, I won't get mad." She prompted.

Seeing his suspicion she added, "… okay, scratch that. I might get mad, but I promise I won't hit you if I do."

He sighed and scratched the back of his head, self consciously.

"It's… I just thought…" he began, unsure of how to express himself, "Look, ever since we kissed that night I couldn't stop thinking about you. Literally." He looked her in the eyes, finding that she was surprised at his admission, which in turn made him wonder why she was so stunned before carrying on as honestly as he could, "Soon enough all kinds of questions about you seemed to pop up in my mind, and I was pretty disappointed about actually knowing so little about you… I always thought your eyes were beautiful, and I was really curious about them, since you're the only person I know who has purple eyes… so figuring you wouldn't know about them either I decided to investigate."

"Hmm… well, you were right. I didn't know," she agreed, "But didn't it ever cross your mind that I might get mad at you snooping around my past or something?"

"Actually, it did. But you get mad at plenty of things and when do I ever chose to do the safe thing?" he grinned cheekily.

"You got a point there," she sighed in resignation, "Well, it's your turn."

"Why did you run out on me that night?" he asked, bluntly.

"I didn't run out on you," she frowned.

"Yes, you did," he countered, "You left just after our last kiss." He blushed slightly, recalling it.

"I didn't run out on you." She repeated.

When he opened his mouth to retort she continued.

"I had to leave, or would you rather someone woke up to find me missing from my bed, came here to ask you if you knew anything about it and found us making out?" she explained, as if it were obvious. "Besides, you didn't even ask me to stay."

He frowned.

"I didn't think I _had_ to." He grumbled, "Looked pretty obvious to me that I wanted you to stay…" he paused, "Still, you're right. I'm not sure I would have survived if said person happened to be my dad."

She smiled ruefully.

"Well, ask me next time," she recommended, shaking her head at his silliness and laying back next to him. Twirling her fingers she stared at the ceiling and decided to take matters into her own hands. If he refused to be the one to bring up the subject, she would have to do so herself; the one thing she couldn't stand was leaving things as they were. "So… what are we?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, frowning in confusion, turning his body to her and propping his head on his left arm.

"Well… that night… we admitted that we love each other," she blushed and her eyes kept flickering from one place to another, nervously, "and we even kissed, but… somehow, I feel our status was left… unresolved." She explained, "We've been avoiding each other for almost a week! And I'm sorry I've been such a moody bitch lately, but we never really spoke about it and I got really insecure which makes me really cranky so I ended up taking it out on you and since you never said anything about that… urgh, and now I'm really confused with all this…" she rambled on.

"Oh. Uh…" he was at loss. What did she want to hear? He'd thought it was obvious that he wanted her as a girlfriend, but apparently she hadn't caught on to it as he hoped. Damn, he hated speaking of feelings… it never came out quite right. Still, he supposed he might as well come clean… he never thought she'd be so distressed about something like this. He wanted her, he _needed_ her… how could she not know that?

She turned her head to stare at him, waiting. When he kept quiet she spoke.

"Ichigo… What do want from me?" she whispered pleadingly. She couldn't handle not knowing what she was to him, what she _meant_ to him.

Ichigo looked deep into her eyes and held up his hand, pleading for a moment to organize his thoughts.

Rukia's eyes flashed with hurtful apprehension before she pulled herself together, closed her eyes and sighed, turning away from him to give him time.

To him it was clear she feared that night had been nothing more than an trial, that he hadn't been sure about his feelings before kissing her… she probably even doubted her own performance when it came to that. But then again, so did _he_ doubt his own performance. Those had been his first kisses and before she explained her reasons for leaving that night he'd been apprehensive about bringing that subject up. What if she'd left because he was a lousy kisser? What if she realized that she didn't love him after all?

Now it seemed they both had been just as stubborn as before, refusing to voice their fears to each other, and only getting hurt because of stupid misunderstandings. It seemed silly that they kept falling for that. He was sure he loved her. She'd saved him, changed his world, gave him strength and stopped the rain in his heart. Thanks to her he'd started to heal from the trauma his mother's death had caused. He'd risked his life to save her and almost lost her more times than he cared to remember! His heart ached just from thinking of that.

He couldn't lose her…

He wouldn't lose her.

He wanted her to stay by his side always… and unless she refused him, he'd be damned if he let anything or anyone interfere in their relationship.

Strengthening his resolve he decided to go all the way, no matter how over the top it might be.

He wanted to be sure she was his, let everyone know she belonged with him, and this was the easiest way to show he was serious about it.

Rukia was agonizing.

What was taking him so long? Did he really have so many doubts? Had he changed his mind about this as she feared? Maybe he'd thought about it after she left and realized he'd been wrong?

Her doubts were killing her. She wanted to believe that it'd meant more than a few kisses for him. She wanted to believe that he did love her, because _she_ loved him and would be crushed if he'd been mistaken. She wanted to believe that he cared and wouldn't stop caring even if he realized what they'd shared had been a mistake.

She was aware that maybe she was overreacting again. That maybe he was just working up his courage to speak to her, but she couldn't allow herself to hope for what her heart wished. All she could do was wait and hope his answer wouldn't crush her already so feeble heart.

After what seemed like forever to her, Ichigo held her shoulder gently and pulled so she would fall on her back and could face him as he spoke.

Focusing on the resolution he'd decided upon, his eyes seemed to warm at the thought that crossed his mind, but still remained guarded.

"Rukia…" he began, "I want you to listen to what I have to say. Please don't interrupt; I need to get it all out."

She nodded meekly.

"Rukia… you changed my world from the moment you first stepped into this room. You saved my family, risked yourself for us and gave me your powers so I could protect us all. When you were taken to be executed…" his eyes showed the pain he felt at the recollection, "…I couldn't let that happen. Not only because you'd saved my life before, but because it was my fault you were in such predicament."

He took a breath and continued slowly.

"I know I wasn't worth much at the time. We both know how well I did the first time I fought your brother before he took you." He attempted to joke but seeing the pain in her eyes he decided it was best to proceed, "I trained harder, fought captains, achieved my Bankai, and defied your family and friends for you. To save _you_." He stressed meaningfully, "Because even though I didn't understand it at the time..." he trailed off.

She looked up at him curiously and met with his determined gaze.

"There were so many times when I've almost lost you… too many times…" he whispered, "… and I don't want that to happen anymore, so… Rukia…" he called to make sure she listened and understood what he had to say.

She tilted her head in answer, signaling him to continue.

"I want you to be my friend…" he began, looking in her eyes determinedly.

Seeing the hurtful look that quickly overtook her eyes and the frown that was beginning to form he continued, hoping to sooth it, "I want you to be my comrade…"

She was going to open her mouth to retort that they already _were_ those - that _that_ wasn't what she had asked of him, but he didn't give her a chance.

She opened her lips and he reached with his right hand to her and placed his forefinger on them, willing her to listen quietly, guessing by the intensity of her eyes that she was hurt by his answer. When he was sure she would remain silent he began to trace her lips with his finger, his eyes fervently following the trail of his finger across her features.

She shivered at the passion of his stare and caress, searching in his eyes for an answer to his unusual behavior.

After caressing her lips he slowly guided his hand to caress her cheek while his eyes focused on her own.

"I want you to be my girlfriend…" he whispered, reaching for her with both arms and tentatively cradling her closer to him.

Eyes widening in surprise quickly softened at the words she'd been hoping to listen and she nodded at his declaration, silently agreeing. Curling her arms gingerly around his neck she felt as his left arm curled around her waist, pulling her closer, and his right hand left her waist to softly brush away some locks that were falling in her eyes and tangle in her hair. Laying her head on his chest hesitantly, she was rewarded by a kiss on her temple as he continued and she kept quiet, now sure he wasn't finished with his little speech.

Ichigo, on his part, was becoming rather nervous about the confession, but carried on nonetheless.

"I want you to be my lover…" he boldly whispered in her ear, making her shiver in his arms and hold closer.

"I want you to be my wife…" he declared, holding her closer. She turned her head upward to look at him in surprise at how fast he was turning out to act after so many days refusing to voice the subject, and found nothing but yearning and honesty in his eyes. Smiling she laid her head against his chest again, feeling warm, safe, and more loved than ever before.

"I want you to bear my children…" he smirked, adding, "no matter how loud-mouthed, bossy, and 'chappy-happy' kids they turn out to be."

"Hey!" she complained half heartedly, looking up at him and pulling one arm from around his neck to hit his chest playfully.

Catching her hand in his chest he brushed his thumb softly over her knuckles, looking in her eyes with a renewed intensity and bravery, since she hadn't denied him yet nor shown any indication that she would do so.

"I want you to be _mine_." He declared, fervently, hoping his eyes were able to convey to her just how much he needed her.

She smiled and tugged him closer, reaching for his lips, and he leaned closer to satisfy her silent command, kissing her as deeply as he knew how.

Breaking the kiss he noticed she had tears running down her cheeks.

"Rukia, what's wrong?" he began wiping her tears away.

She could tell by his eyes how distressed he became at that and this time she was the one laying a finger in his lips as she replied with a husky voice from emotion.

"Nothing's wrong, Ichigo. Not anymore." She brushed her hand trough his hair, "I _am_ yours. You idiot, of course I'm yours… and _you_'re _mine_," she smiled as he held her closer in contentment, adding a bit more sternly, "Just don't expect me to grow obedient, quiet and complacent over your every whim as the ideal wife should." She warned, "If you piss me off, you can expect me to be mad and kicking." She continued in all seriousness.

"Does that mean you agree to marry me?" he asked, to be sure.

"Yes, but I don't expect it to happen very soon. Do you? We still need time to get used to our new relationship. And I might be enough of an infuriating midget that you'll change your mind…" she trailed off.

He rolled his eyes at her idea. He was pretty sure he'd never get tired of her.

"Wouldn't want you any other way," he kissed her again, "Besides, I like our arguments." He grinned boyishly.

She snorted, amused.

"Masoquist," she shook her head, "Only you could enjoy being kicked around and yelled at."

He shrugged.

"You're not kicking me as hard as you used to," he said, "besides, don't forget the psychological trauma caused by your explanation drawings."

"Idiot." she frowned.

"And yet you agreed to marry me. Is that any way to refer to your fiancé?" he asked teasingly.

"It is, when said fiancé insults his fiancée's drawings." She replied, blushing at his straightforwardness.

He grinned again.

"I don't think you'll be smiling so much when you ask nii-sama for his blessing," she mused, trying to keep from laughing at his anxious expression.

"Do I really have to? You already agreed." He attempted to dissuade such notion.

"Are you kidding me?" she smiled at his uneasiness, "The chances are, if you don't ask him, he really _will_ kill you, while he might only become slightly annoyed that I agreed if you _do_ ask him, leaving him no choice but to accept."

"Well, when you say it like that…" he sighed, "Fine, I'll ask Urahara to open the gate tomorrow and I'll go ask him. I don't suppose you want to come along to verify my claims?"

"Are you scared?" she teased.

"I am _not_ scared!" he frowned, "I just thought it would go more smoothly if you were present."

She smirked.

"Of course I'll go, idiot. I don't want nii-sama to face the elders by himself when he formally announces our engagement." She replied, rolling her eyes.

"It's going to be announced?" he asked surprised.

She gave him a tolerant look.

"We _are_ nobility, in case you forgot," she reminded him, "So yes, _of course_ it's going to be announced."

He grimaced but kept quiet.

"By the way, when do we tell your family?" she asked, curiously, "Your father will be surprised by your change from '_no way! that midget's not my girlfriend_' to '_dad, we're gonna marry_'."

"Maybe, maybe not… that beardo knows more than he shows sometimes," he mused, "And since I'm going to Soul Society tomorrow to speak with Byakuya, I thought I should take my chance today, while I'm still alive and whole, since we're all gonna eat out anyway. It seems a much better celebration than you punching my old man harder than Karin. No offense, of course." He smirked.

"Yeah, maybe we should speak with them tonight," she nodded, cuddling closer, "Don't you think they'll think this was too sudden, though? Even _I_ was surprised by how suddenly you asked it."

"Probably, but I don't really care," he held her closer, enjoying the feeling of intimacy, "And we don't have to marry immediately, I just wanted to make sure you don't misunderstand my feelings and it seemed the most obvious way to show you that I'm not changing my mind about us."

"My, I never thought you were so romantic," she confessed.

"I'm just full of surprises," he joked, "Besides, you know I like to read Shakespeare, and we fit perfectly into his idea of love: a heady mix of passion, aggression, despair and determination."

"Mostly aggression," she giggled.

"Don't _I_ know it…" he complained.

"What kind of masoquist complains about aggression?" she rolled her eyes at him.

"One who needs therapy after one too many drawings." He retorted with a smirk.

"Idiot!" she hit him again and tried to pull away from him to sit up, only to find herself trapped by his arms, "Let go."

"No way," he kept the smirk.

"Let me go or I'll make sure you won't be thinking about having kids for a long while." She threatened.

"You were the one who didn't want to have kids for a long while, as I recall," he chuckled.

"Unhand me, damnit!" she couldn't help but laugh as she demanded it because of the look he was giving her.

Seeing as he refused to move she tried a different approach.

"Look, your father will be arriving soon to take us out. Don't you think it'd be better to get ready and maintain a small measure of dignity before he starts making a fool of himself _and_ ourselves over the news?" she questioned.

Ichigo frowned and sighed, relaxing enough so she could pull away if she wanted.

"Fine, fine… you're getting good at manipulating me," he grumbled, "But you're staying here later."

Blushing she gave him a kiss on his cheek and smiled at his disappointed frown before sitting up.

"We'll see about that later," she promised as she pried his hands from around her and stood up, walking towards the door.

"I'm going to get you, if you don't come by yourself," he threatened.

She looked back at him as she opened the door to judge his determination and shook her head in mirth when she saw he meant it.

"Just get ready before they arrive," she rolled her eyes and closed the door behind her.

* * *

**A/N:** And that's it for now. I'll start on the third chapter yet today, I hope. And I don't think it might take me much time to update, but I'm not making any promises since I haven't started it at all. Oh well...

Hope you enjoyed it!!


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